History for August 7

History for August 7 - On-This-Day.com:
Mata Hari 1876, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer 1927, B.J. Thomas 1942 


Garrison Keillor 1942, David Duchovny 1960, Charlize Theron 1975 


1789 - The U.S. War Department was established by the U.S. Congress. 


1782 - George Washington created the Order of the Purple Heart. 


1888 - Theophilus Van Kannel received a patent for the revolving door. 


1942 - U.S. forces landed at Guadalcanal, marking the start of the first major allied offensive in the Pacific during World War II. 


1960 - The Cuban Catholic Church condemned the rise of communism in Cuba. Fidel Castro then banned all religious TV and radio broadcasts. 


1964 - The U.S. Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which gave President Johnson broad powers in dealing with reported North Vietnamese attacks on U.S. forces. 


1974 - French stuntman Philippe Petit walked a tightrope strung between the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center. 


1990 - U.S. President George H.W. Bush ordered U.S. troops and warplanes to Saudi Arabia to guard against a possible invasion by Iraq. 


2003 - In California, Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that he would run for the office of governor.